Three Kings
by Jeremiah Gathnor
Summary: Liam's new to Hogwarts and new to the idea of Wizardry. His classes are strange and his roomates are stranger. Many of his friend are people you would never expect to be students at Hogwarts. The wizarding community has no idea what's about to hit them.
1. The Train

CHAPTER I – The Train

Liam felt very out of place standing in King's Cross Station. His parents had taken him this far, but as he looked back, he could see them walking away. He caught the eye of his mother, who was turning back to look at him as well. She smiled and disappeared into the crowd.

It didn't help that Liam had never even ridden a train before and now needed to find a magical one. There didn't seem to be anyone around to help him either. His nonmagical parents were not only no help, but very strict about not even trying to help. They hadn't been terribly supportive so far of their son's strange talents.

Liam stood staring back and forth from one platform to the next, trying to discern with an 11-year-old's logic how there could be a platform nine-and-three-quarters. After a minute of drawing a blank, he sat down on the trunk behind him and propped his chin on his hands.

Immediately, a young woman stopped in front of him. "Are you lost, kid?"

"Something like that," Liam replied. "I'm looking for platform nine-and-three-quarters."

The woman smiled. "I see. You're one of us."

"Am I?"

"You must be new. Follow me." She gave him a reassuring look, then grabbed the handle on her trunk and headed straight for the wall Liam had been sitting in front of. Instead of crashing, as Liam only half-expected, she passed right through and disappeared.

"I should have known."

With a sigh, he stood up and followed suit. The woman was waiting for him on the other side. "Not as bad as it looks, eh?"

Liam smiled. "I've been through worse."

He only paid her half a mind though, a fact she was well aware of. What consumed his attention now was the scarlet train in front of him, puffing smoke. The train was frightening, in a way. It was large and oddly painted. Before he really had time to think on it, someone bumped into him from behind.

"I'm terribly sorry," said a child roughly Liam's age.

"No, no. It's my fault. Not a good idea to stand in the entranceway."

The kid had already tuned him out, staring in wonder at the train. Apparently he was new as well. "We should move," Liam said, making sure to catch the boy's attention for at least long enough to get the message across.

After the kid nodded absently and began walking off, Liam looked over at the young woman who'd helped him through, only to find her gone. With a shrug, he set off to go find a seat on the train.

It didn't take long to find an empty compartment. Without delay, he put up his trunk and sat down, leaning back and closing his eyes. It had been a weird day so far, and it wasn't likely to get any better. Perhaps it would be easier on him if he could get a little rest now.

After perhaps a half an hour, the train began to move. Soon afterwards, his compartment was invaded by two boys about his age. "Dude," the first boy said to the second, "there's only one guy in here. Let's do it." After the second boy nodded, the first walked up to Liam and offered a hand. "What's up? I'm Jack."

Liam opened his eyes and saw the hand in front of him, so he shook it. "Liam. Pleased to meet you."

"Liam?" Jack said. "Rock. Me and my brother, Kyle, here are lookin' for a place to crash. Mind if we share your pad?'

"I'm not really sure what that means, but sure."

"Awesome. Kyle, thank the man."

"You rock, dude."

Liam just nodded and closed his eyes again. He couldn't help but hope that no one else would be as crazy and wild as Jack already seemed to be. After Kyle and Jack had put up their trunks and settled in, Liam began to hear the strumming of a guitar. His eyes popped open.

"Dude, I'm sorry," Kyle said immediately, ceasing his playing. "No guitar?"

"By all means, keep playing. I just wasn't expecting a musician."

As Kyle started strumming again, Jack turned to Liam. "Are you into the whole music thing, man?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. I was taking drumming lessons before I ended up here."

"Dude, that's awesome. What kind of music were you learning?"

"Mostly rock."

"No offense, man, but rock and roll is bogus. Right K.G.?"

"Right."

"What do you guys play?"

"Rock, which we know to be bogus. But we're classically trained."

"Classically trained?"

Jack laughed. "Give him a taste, K.G."

Kyle looked at him for a second, then shrugged. "Okay." His fingers moved along the fretboard and he began to pluck, playing a hot block of Bach.

Liam grinned. "That's cool."

"Dude, Liam, man, you're a drummer," Jack laughed. "D'you bring any sticks with you?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"Let's rock, dude." Jack started digging around for his own guitar, and Liam followed suit by opening his trunk and searching through it for the drumsticks he vaguely remembered packing. Finally, they found what they were looking for, and began a free form jam session on the train.

It wasn't until a few hours later that they were interrupted by the lady with the trolley. "You kids seem to be enjoying yourself," she said. "Would you like anything off the trolley?"

The three of them looked at each other, then simultaneously shook their heads. The trolley lady just smiled and moved on.

"Not bad, Liam, buddy," Jack crooned. "You gots skills."

"Thanks, Jack. You guys are pretty awesome yourselves. There's just one thing that's bothering me though?"

"What's that?" Kyle asked.

"You guys said you were brothers, but you don't really look anything alike."

"Well," Jack said, "we're not brothers like 'brothers' brothers. We're more like 'brothers' if you know what I mean." He turned to Kyle. "Right, bro?"

"Right."

Liam gave them a slightly confused look. "I think I get it. You guys are just really good friends."

"Something like that."

"That's cool. I mean, friendship is rare."

They both nodded sagely. "I know what you're saying," Kyle agreed.

"Hey guys," came a voice from the doorway, "you should probably change into your robes soon."

Liam looked up to see the young woman he'd spoken to earlier. "Yes, ma'am," Liam said.

After she left, Liam, Jack, and Kyle changed. "Wow," Kyle exclaimed after sitting down in his new robes, "these robes blow. It's gonna suck trying to play in these."

"Roll up the sleeves," Liam offered.

"Oh, right."

Soon they were jamming again, despite the hardship of rocking in robes. Hours later, the music died down and they looked up to see a group of robed adolescents standing in their doorway and beyond.

Jack and Kyle shared a look, then turned their grin on Liam. "Dude, Lee – you mind if I call you Lee? – I think we need to start a band."


	2. The Ceremony

CHAPTER II – The Ceremony

Liam stood with Jack and Kyle overlooking a dark lake with a castle in the background. The landscape was breathtaking, and he couldn't even see it.

"Dudes," Jack chuckled, "this is awesome!" His spastic jerk at the end of the sentence nearly knocked Kyle and Liam over.

"Aye," was all Liam could say.

"This way!" called the groundskeeper, and first-year students continued down the path toward the lake.

"How did you guys get into Hogwarts, anyway?" Liam couldn't help but ask as they walked.

"We got letters, just like everybody else. Neither of us had any clue magic existed either before we got our letters," Kyle explained. "The thing is, I didn't get my letter 'till a few weeks ago when my parents found it. It had come by normal mail months ago, but I wasn't at home at the time, so they set it down and forgot about it."

At this point, they reached the lake, where there were boats waiting to take them to the castle. At the behest of the groundskeeper, the three of them climbed into one of the boats, and due to the odd number of people in the class, were allowed a boat with just the three of them in it.

Slowly the boats began crossing the lake. Jack picked up the narrative. "So a couple of weeks ago, K.G. runs in, not even bothering to knock, and shows me this letter he's all excited about. Luckily for him, I already had a letter. In fact, I'd been expecting him months earlier, and when he didn't show up I did what I could to hide it from him so that I wouldn't have to break the news that we'd be split up once school started."

Liam nodded. "I'm certainly glad everything worked out."

"You know how it is, man," Jack agreed. "Nothing splits up true friends."

"Apparently not."

"What about you, Lee-man? How'd the news go over with the folks?"

"My parents don't quite hate me, but I think they're slightly afraid of me. I didn't get much support after the letter showed up."

The talk turned to frivolities until they entered into an even darker tunnel under the castle. For a few moments, none of them could see anything. Amidst the oohs and aahs and nervous laughs of the people in the boats around them, they heard a splash.

"What – or should I say who – was that?" the groundskeeper demanded.

"Get off me you tubby bastard!" was the only answer out of the darkness. The splashing continued for a few more seconds until whoever had fallen out was brought back on board.

A few seconds later, they passed through the darkness into a cavern. In front of them on the opposite shore was a huge door.

They got out of the boat after a gentle landing and gathered with the rest of the new students on the steps before the great door. The groundskeeper walked up with them and knocked three times rather loudly on the wood.

Immediately, the door opened. An older woman stood there, wearing green robes and a witch's hat.

"The first-years, Professor McGonagall," the groundskeeper announced.

"Thank you," the witch replied, "I will take them from here." With that, she opened the door wider and ushered the children in. She stopped the last boy, however, who was dripping wet. "Decide to take a little swim, Mr. Izzard?" She pulled a wand out of her sleeve, flicked it at the boy while saying something Liam didn't quite catch, and suddenly water was splashing on the stone steps below him and his robes were dry.

"Thank you, Professor," the boy mumbled.

Professor McGonagall led them across the large entrance chamber, past another large doorway to the right that sounded full of students, and into a small chamber nearby. The first-years crowded in, Liam, Jack, and Kyle hanging toward the back near the recently wet kid.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," the Professor said. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.

"I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."

Liam looked at Jack and Kyle, his only friends, and all three of them turned to the guy nearby.

"So dude," Jack started.

"How'd you end up in the lake?" Kyle finished.

The boy looks at them, but before he speak, another boy standing next to him says quietly, "So the lights go out and fatty here latches on to my arm like a scared little wuss. Naturally, I push him off and go 'Get the hell off me!' but he goes right over the side. I scoot over and lean over the side to see if he's alright, but he latches on to like a little girl who's lost in a mall or something. So I'm like 'Get off me you tubby bastard!' and I push him off again. Then the other two guys in the boat drag him back over to drip on us. He's always doing stuff like that."

Liam blinked a few times at the cataract of words and gestures the long-haired blonde boy was giving him, his shorter, stockier cohort nodding the whole time. When the tirade was over, Liam just nodded and saw Jack and Kyle doing the same thing.

"I'm Jay, by the way, and this is my hetero life-mate, Kevin. Everyone just calls him Bob."

"Awesome, guys," Jack said, "I'm Jack, and this is Kyle and Liam. Everyone just calls him Lee."

"Actually, only you guys call me Lee."

"What's up, guys. Jack, Kyle, Lee" Jay said, slapping each of their in turn. "You guys know what's up with this whole ceremony thing?"

"Not a clue, dude," Jack replied.

"Cool."

"Move along now, the Sorting Ceremony is about to start." All five of them looked up to see Professor McGonagall standing in the narrow doorway. She quickly lined them up single-file and marched them through the door.

From Liam's position near the back of the line between Bob and Jack, he caught his first glimpse of the Great Hall. He'd never seen true magic before seeing Professor McGonagall dry Bob's robes, so he was flabbergasted by what he saw. Thousands of candles were suspended in the air, giving the huge room a healthy glow. On one side of the first years was a long table full of old people, which Liam assumed must be the other Professors and the castle staff. On the other side of the line were four long tables stretching to the other side of the room. Each was full of students and occasionally what appeared to be a ghost, talking quietly to each other but keeping most of their attention on the line of 11-year-olds walking in.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward and placed a three-legged stool in front of the line of students now facing the older kids. On top of the stool she set an old, beat-up wizard's hat, all patches and fray.

Liam was now quite confused and quite nervous. The entire hall was silent for a few seconds before the hat began to sing from a rip near the brim.

"_The Sorting Hat of Hogwarts school_

_Is many things, but not a fool._

_Just put me on and I will know_

_Into which house you'd best go._

_I can see inside your head_

_And tell you what your heart has said,_

_So put me on and watch me sort_

_I'm the Sorting Hat, your new cohort._

_If your heart is brave and more_

_I'll put you into Gryffindor._

_But if knowledge is more draw_

_Then you belong in Ravenclaw._

_Those who're made of loyaler stuff_

_Will find themselves in Hufflepuff,_

_But those who's cunning draws them in_

_Will make their friends in Slytherin._

_So go ahead and put me on_

_To find out just where you belong._

_After imparting my knowledge wealth_

_They'll stow me a year up on my shelf._

As the last notes of the song died down in the Great Hall, the whole room exploded with applause. The Sorting Hat bowed to each of the four student tables, then went still again.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward again, holding a long parchment. "When I call your name," she announced loudly, "you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Anderson, Alice!"

A raven-haired girl stepped out of the line near the front and crossed to the stool. After a few moments with the hat on her head, it suddenly yelled out. "SLYTHERIN!"

"Black, Jack."

Jack glanced at Kyle on one side and Liam on the other before stepping forward. It took a little longer for the sorting hat to find a response, but eventually it found one. "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Bowie, Marshall."

A shorter boy stepped out from where Alice had been standing. "SLYTHERIN!"

"Bronte, Robert."

A rather nondescript boy stepped out of line. "RAVENCLAW!"

"Browning, Edna."

A petite girl moved forward from the far front of the line. "RAVENCLAW!"

"Cooper, Barry."

The only black kid in line stepped up with a relaxed grin. "SLYTHERIN!"

"DeGeneres, Jason."

Jay looked from Bob to Liam and stepped forward, leaving Liam between Bob and Kyle as the line scrunched up to fill his space. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Dickinson, Edgar."

A dark-haired boy stepped nonchalantly forward. "RAVENCLAW!"

"Duritz, Janice."

A long haired, big eyed girl stepped up. "SLYTHERIN!"

"Frost, Emily."

Another brunette stepped out of the front of the line and went to the sorting hat nervously. "RAVENCLAW!"

"Garofalo, Adam."

A short boy stepped awkwardly forward. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Gass, Kyle."

Kyle stepped forward, leaving Liam at the end of the line. "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Griffin, Eddie."

A taller boy stepped out from nearby, nervously chewing on the tongue barely sticking out of his mouth. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Izzard, Kevin."

Bob shot Liam a half-hearted look of confidence and stepped forward. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Jong, Henry."

Another fairly non-descript boy came out of the line not far from where the last one was. "RAVENCLAW!"

"Joplin, Courtney."

A rather fiery girl bounded out of line. "SLYTHERIN!"

"Love, Ian."

A short, skinny boy stepped forward. "SLYTHERIN!"

"Mathers, Sarah."

Yet another brunette stepped up. "SLYTHERIN!"

"McLachlan, Adam."

The boy who stepped out this time was smiling through his short dreadlocks. "SLYTHERIN!"

"Mewes, Paul."

A tall boy with bushy, black hair went toward the hat. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Millay, Dylan."

As Dylan stepped forward, Liam finally got a name for the kid that had bumped into him that morning at the station. "RAVENCLAW!"

"Morissette, Gene."

A pale, dark-haired boy stepped up. "SLYTHERIN!"

"O'Donnell, Janeane."

Janeane also turned out to be pale and dark-haired. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Osmond, Gwen."

The girl who moved forward seemed to be trying to outdo Courtney Joplin for fiery. "SLYTHERIN!"

"Poe, Erica."

For the first time, a blonde girl walked up to the hat without a bit of fire. "RAVENCLAW!"

"Sandler, Ellen."

Ellen got to be the second fireless blonde, but she wore a smile Erica probably couldn't have pulled off. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Shore, Robin."

A stocky kid walked to the hat for his turn. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Simmons, Alanis."

Alanis was awarded the title of the first noticeably pale brunette to step down. "SLYTHERIN!"

"Simon, Donald."

Yet another non-descript boy headed for the hat. "SLYTHERIN!"

"Simon, Marie."

It was obvious at first glance that Marie was closely related to Donald, likely twins. "SLYTHERIN!"

"Smith, Rosie."

A pudgy girl stepped forward. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

As Rosie was being sorted, Liam took a quick look at who was left. The class was dwindling down and there was only six other kids standing up there with him. He looked out into the student body and could point out most of the other first years spread out amongst the tables. At the Gryffindor table, however, was only Jack and Kyle.

"Stefani, Paul."

The last of the non-descript boys of the first-year class headed forward to be sorted. "SLYTHERIN!"

"Thomas, Charlotte."

Another brunette made the cross to the hat and sat down. "RAVENCLAW!"

"Thomas, Emily."

Charlotte's identical twin took her place. "RAVENCLAW!"

"Thorough, Elizabeth."

The last of the anonymous brunettes went forward. "RAVENCLAW!"

"Tull, Liam."

Nervously, Liam crossed to the hat not far from him. He picked it up, put it on, and sat down on the stool.

"I agree with you, kid," the Sorting Hat said in his ear. "You don't know where you belong, and you are one of the rare tough ones to place. What do you think?"

_I think it's your job to know_, Liam thought._ I've no idea what to look for in myself._

"That's very true. Hmmm. I think I've got it. GRYFFINDOR!"

As Liam got up and went to the Gryffindor table, amidst cheers from his new housemates, he wasn't sure whether he should be glad that he got to stay with Kyle and Jack, the only people he knew very well, or if he should be disappointed by his new house, judging by the fact that so few of the other first-years had been sorted here. The Sorting Hat had mentioned bravery, but for all Liam knew, that was just something people said to make the Gryffindors feel better about themselves and it was actually the house for talentless wanabees.

"White, David" was called as Liam was making his way down the Gryffindor table and he turned to get another look at the tall kid with odd, sharp facial features before David sat down and was sorted into "SLYTHERIN!"

"How much does it rock," Jack said as Liam sat down, spazzing out again, "that that old hat didn't split up the band?"

"It rocks my socks off," Liam replied with a smile as "Williams, Kathy" was called. The final student, and only natural redhead in the bunch, placed the hat on her head and was almost immediately a "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"That's what I'm talking about man!" Jack laughed.

McGonagall rolled up her scroll and picked up the hat and stool, taking them out the door they had all come through earlier. As she left, an old man in silver robes, with long silver hair stood up and began to speak.

The speech was short and as soon as the old man sat down, the plates along the table were full of food. Liam's eyes were nearly as big as his own plate at the selection of food he suddenly had to choose from.

"Dudes," Jack said, picking up the goblet at his elbow, "a toast." Kyle and Lee picked up their goblets as well. Liam was almost surprised to find that his was full. With a boyish grin, Jack toasted. "Long live the Three Kings."


	3. The Sleeping Arrangement

CHAPTER III – The Sleeping Arrangements

"You guys come with me."

Liam turned to look at who'd spoken to find the same young woman who'd helped him in the station, then again on the train, standing behind him. She was looking from him to Jack and Kyle.

Obediently, the three of them stood up and followed her out of the Great Hall, which was quickly emptying now that the banquet was over. As they headed out, Liam couldn't help but smile as Jack made lewd gestures behind the older girls back.

"I'm Katy Pryne, by the way. I'm one of the Gryffindor Prefects. It's my job to show you guys to Gryffindor Tower."

Jack gave her a winning smile when she glanced back at them to make sure they were listening. "You look familiar. Do you do yoga?"

Katy ignored his comment and continued talking. "I expected to be leading a slightly larger crowd up to the Tower, but I can't say I'm terribly surprised."

At this point, Professor McGonagall approached the four of them from a side hall. "Ah, Ms. Pryne, there you are."

"Good evening, Professor McGonagall. I'm just leading the new Gryffindors to the Tower."

"Very good. I think I'll accompany you. I need to have a talk with the Prefects and the Head Boy and Head Girl."

"Professor," Liam asked, "does this have anything to do with the fact that only three of us got sorted into Gryffindor? It seems rather odd."

"You're quite right, Mr. Tull. It is quite odd, and quite disturbing. Perhaps it's best the there of you attend this meeting as well, as you may be most directly affected."

"Yes, ma'am."

As McGonagall turned back around to face forward, Jack turned to Liam, spazzed and mouthed "Rock!"

Liam and Kyle had to try and hide their laughter all the way to Gryffindor Tower.

Katy and the Professor led them to a large portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress. The fat lady smiled at the five of them, then tilted her head and said "This is all?"

"I'm afraid so," McGonagall replied.

"That's certainly not good. No, not good at all. Then again, what am I doing standing her blabbering on? Password?"

"Beluga whale," Katy said simply, and the fat lady's portrait swung away from the wall, revealing a doorway into a large plush room full of cushy armchairs.

"This is the common room," Katy explained, motioning around the room. "After the meeting, Timothy will show you to your dormitory."

The five of them walked up to a table where five other people were already sitting with their heads together talking. "I'm glad to see you're all already here," Professor McGonagall said simply.

"We were discussing the sorting, Professor," replied what looked to be the oldest of the three boys sitting around the table. Katy and the Professor pulled up chairs, leaving Liam, Kyle, and Jack standing nearby.

"That's exactly what I was hoping to talk about, Mr. Preston." She glanced at the three first years standing nearby, then introduced each of the people sitting around the table. "This is Jacob Preston, Head Boy, and Bethany Pryne, Head Girl. The others are Gryffindor's prefects, Timothy Pryne, Eliza Carry, William Baker, and Kate Pryne, who you know."

The family resemblance was plain between Kate, Bethany, and Timothy. Three sets of eyes exactly the same color peered from three faces bearing the same nose and the same freckles. All three nodded to the first-years when they were introduced.

"What do you think this means, Professor," Bethany asked.

"I've very afraid, Ms. Pryne, that it means dark times for the world. Hogwarts, as you know, pulls in the most prominent young witches and wizards in the area, and some, like these two," she said, motioning to Jack and Kyle, "from quite a ways away. If of all the students we took in this, only these were pure and brave enough to enter Gryffindor house, I must imagine that children are the same elsewhere."

"Did anyone notice all the new faces joining Slytherin, tonight?" William asked.

"That disturbs me just as much, Mr. Baker. I'm afraid of what the world is coming to if more students are being sorted into Slytherin than any other house."

Jack leaned in close to Liam and whispered loudly "I think we're not liking Slytherin right now."

"Quite right, Mr. Black, quite right," Professor McGonagall said, turning to look at the three of them. "Aside from this being your first day here at Hogwarts, you are all three muggle-born, which I imagine is the only reason you're not aware that Slytherin house is noted for it's propensity toward harboring students that later become users of the Dark Arts. Every villainous wizard for nearly five centuries now was once a Slytherin!"

"They're not all bad," Jacob added, "but most of them are. Besides, Gryffindor and Slytherin have been rivals since literally before the school was founded."

Something wasn't quite right, as far as Liam was concerned. "It seems strange that every dark wizard for centuries has been a Slytherin, but doesn't that say something for Hogwarts itself if all of them have come from this school? Or are the houses at all of the other wizarding schools the same four houses? There are other wizarding schools, right?"

"There are," McGonagall said, "and they are not all set up the same way as Hogwarts. The four houses here were named after the four founders of the school, and I assume the other schools name their houses after their own founders or something similar. Unfortunately, you are not the first to notice that Hogwarts has produced all of those dark names, and many people have moved to get the school closed."

"I can't imagine that would stop anything. Evil people are evil people, no matter where they go to school," Liam said, not buying in to this odd theory they seemed to be hatching.

"That's very true, Mr. Tull, but it's equally obvious to most people that Slytherin has a strange way of grabbing up all of those evil children. And as Slytherin house grew by fifteen students tonight, I, personally, am worried about the future of the world. It's long been thought by those closely involved with Hogwarts that Gryffindor was the house that produced the heroes in the battle of good against evil. If Gryffindor has recruited only one-fifth of what Slytherin has, that is only more cause for worry."

Six other heads nodded in agreement. Liam, suddenly feeling nervous, looked at Jack and Kyle. Were the three of them, then, the new heroes in training? Was it up to the three of them to keep the balance in check?

"What about the other houses?" Kyle asked. "Where do Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff fit into this?"

"Those houses go either way," Jacob answered. "From what I've seen, they tend to be more often on our side, but they're rarely big players in the larger battle. In the end, though, we, as Gryffindors, don't find much reason to dislike them except on the Quidditch field."

Liam didn't even want to know what Quidditch was at the moment. He was overwhelmed enough already. Apparently, his companions didn't feel the same way. "What's Quidditch?" Jack asked.

A few of the others gave them odd looks before remembering they knew nothing of the wizarding world. "You'll find out," was all they got, from a broadly grinning Timothy Pryne.

"Anyway," Kate interceded, "Professor McGonagall is right. If the rest of the world is seeing results like we're seeing, we may be in for dark times indeed."

"But what can we do about it?" Liam asked. He was surprised to find that he actually did want to help.

"I don't know," McGonagall sighed. "I'll have a talk with the Headmaster. Surely he's seen the same thing we have, and he'll likely come up with better ideas than any of us here could."

"I certainly hope he comes up with something," Bethany mused.

Professor McGonagall nodded and stood up. "For now, there isn't much we can do. Mr. Pryne, if you wouldn't mind showing these three to their dormitory. Perhaps it's best we all get some sleep. Classes will start first thing in the morning."

"Yes, Professor," Timothy replied, standing up with the others. As they all shook their heads and said their goodnights before heading off in separate directions, Timothy led the three first-years up one of the two staircases in the room.

It soon became obvious to Liam that they must be in one of the towers. After they'd passed a few doors, Timothy stopped them in front of another door that looked exactly like the ones they'd already passed. Liam could already foresee accidentally walking into someone else's dormitory.

Timothy opened the door and led them into the large round room. There were three large four-poster beds, each with one of their trunks sitting beside it, and a large curtained window looking over a forest far below.

"You'll be sleeping in this room for the next seven years, whenever you're at Hogwarts. It won't be long before it feels like home. Feel free to hang posters or redecorate however you'd like."

With that, Timothy was gone. "Dudes," Jack laughed, crossing the room to his trunk, "this is awesome!" He immediately started digging through his stuff.

"This place rocks!" Kyle agreed, following suit.

Liam just smiled widely at his new home and went to his own trunk, plopping down on the bed without even opening it.

"Kage, I think this calls for a song."

"Yeah?" Kyle responded, pulling his guitar case out of his trunk and opening it.

Jack had apparently opened his case while it was still in the trunk. He pulled his guitar out and strapped it on, then proceeded to strum a few bars while Kyle got his own strapped on.

All of a sudden, Liam wished he'd brought his own guitar. The others didn't know it yet, but he was an average guitar player as well as a slightly less average drummer. Where could he find a guitar, though, now that his was many miles away?

"Just follow my lead," Jack told Kyle before he began to strum a chord over and over again in a rock pattern. Kyle joined in, playing another chord that meshed with the first.

Before Liam could get a grasp on what was going on, they were playing intricately. Apparently this was something they'd practiced earlier. After a few chord changed, Jack looked at Liam and smiled, then turned to Kyle. "I got some lyrics.

"Magical nights!

Tangerine dreams!

Magical days!

Magical dreams!

Magical…

Lickinipoo…

Stanky poo…

Lookin' at you…

Because it's time for my bedtime.

It's time for some dreams.

It's time for the stink, time for the breeze,

Time for the… aaahheeee…"

"That was inspiring, JB," Kyle said as they stopped playing.

Liam wasn't quite sure whether he was supposed to clap. It was more obvious than ever, though, that these two were a lot stranger than he'd thought. They seemed to be nice guys though. Part of him just hoped that if it ever came to it, they were nice enough to help save the world.


	4. The First Few Days

CHAPTER IV – The First Few Days

Liam thought back on the packet he'd received months ago that told him of Hogwarts and delivered his shopping list as well as instruction on where to get things and general things he'd need to know. What he was trying, and failing, to remember now was mention of how enormously huge and enormously complicated Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry actually is.

On their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast the first morning of school, they got lost twice. Just as they were feeling glad that they'd started out a little early, they turned a corner and Kyle accidentally ran into someone, knocking the other guy down. Liam looked down to see that the lanky blonde on the floor was Jay and the guy standing beside his now fallen form was Bob.

"Hey, guys," Liam said as Kyle helped Jay up. "Where're you guys headed?"

"Tryin' to find the Great Hall. Yous guys know where it is?"

"It's this way," came a voice from beside them. They all turned to look at the man in the intersecting corridor. By the looks of his height and age, he must be a professor. "I'm on my way there myself, so feel free to tag along."

The man seemed nice enough, and more importantly started walking off in the direction Liam, Jack, and Kyle had just come from.

"Who's this guy and how do we know we can trust him?" Jay asked in a whisper.

Beside him, Bob started miming as though he was a teacher. The others stood and watched him for a second before figuring out what he was trying to say.

"He's right," Jack finally said. "I think he probably is a teacher."

"And he's leaving without us," Liam added. The five of them rushed to catch up.

With a guide, it didn't take long to reach the Great Hall. They split up when they got inside so that Jay and Bob could go to the Hufflepuff table. Liam, Kyle, and Jack sat down with the Gryffindors. The students nearby greeted them, looking half-friendly, half-worried. Liam didn't blame them for being worried. They'd probably all come to the same conclusion.

The first class of the morning, after breakfast, was a class called Charms. They were smart enough this time to ask one of the older students to help them find the classroom, which luckily wasn't far from the Great Hall.

This was their first class at a wizarding school and none of them knew what to expect. Upon entering the room, they saw sitting behind a desk the man who'd helped them out only hours before.

"Come in, come in," the man said, apparently recognizing them. "According to the roll, there's only the three of you in this class. It's quite strange that there were only three of you sorted into Gryffindor, but the benefit is that most of your classes will only have the three of you in them. Please have a seat.

"I'm Professor O'Grady and this is Charms. In this class, you will be learning all sorts of different things that are staples in a wizard's repertoire. Now I understand you are all three muggle-born. I suppose this means none of you really know anything about using a wand, do you?"

The three of them shook their heads in unison. Professor O'Grady sighed.

"In that case, we'd better start with the basics. Pull out your wands."

The three of them spent the rest of the class learning wand techniques. As it came time for them to head to their next class, History of Magic, none of them had gotten to the point they dared even attempt to cast a spell.

It took a little more doing and a little more time than they'd have liked to find the History of Magic classroom. The teacher, Professor Binns, was an old wizard who spent the entire classtime lecturing in an incredibly dreary and boring voice that put both Jack and Kyle to sleep and nearly succeeded with Liam as well. Unlike Charms, however, they were not alone in this class, and it was only the furious note-taking scratches of the Ravenclaws around them that kept Liam awake enough to take notes of his own.

After waking his compatriots at the end of class, the three of them headed off for lunch, before their third and final class of the day. "Something tells me that guy would have continued to give that same lecture even if we'd all fallen asleep," Kyle said as they were walking.

"He'd probably have given it even if no one had showed up," Jack added.

Lunch was rather uneventful. There were perks, it seemed, to being the only three first-years sorted into Gryffindor, but it made eating meals difficult. They were forced to stick with each other, mainly because everyone else already had their friends to talk and interact with. Liam, Jack, and Kyle were far from ignored, but they weren't exactly invited into any true conversations either. No one knew them and no one knew quite what to make of them.

Their last class was Herbology, which they had with the Hufflepuff first-years, was taught in a greenhouse behind the school. The man who taught this class, Professor Parsnip, was also an elderly wizard, though he turned out to be much more spry than Professor Binns had. The course of Herbology, he explained, was carried out mainly by learning about and caring for different magical plants. The first class was taken up by teaching them basic gardening skills and general safety tips.

As the three of them were walking back up toward Gryffindor Tower, they discussed what an uneventful day it had been.

"Three classes and we didn't get to cast one spell," Liam complained.

"Dude, I know," Jack agreed. "This whole wizarding thing bites so far."

"It'll get better," Kyle offered. "Professor O'Grady said we'd be learning spells in his class. We'll probably start one Wednesday."

"I hope so," Liam sighed, and the others nodded.

It took them a while to make it back to the tower. Unfortunately for them, their Herbology class let out earlier than most of the other classes, so they were alone in wandering the halls. They hadn't made it back yet when the other classes let out. It was Timothy Pryne who found them wandering around.

"There you guys are," he said from behind them.

"Hi," Liam said, turning around.

"I figured you guys must be lost when I didn't see you in the common room and you weren't in your room either. So are you guys lost or just out exploring."

"Lost," Kyle replied, just as Jack said, "Exploring."

"A bit of both, actually," Liam explained. "We got lost trying to make it back to Gryffindor Tower, but we're having fun exploring while we wander."

Timothy laughed. "I see. Would you like some help getting back?"

"That would be great."

As they headed back, they talked to Timothy about how their day had gone. He assured him that they would most likely start learning spells in Charms on Wednesday. The first few days were like this for everyone, it seemed, as they started getting into routine.

They had quite a bit of time before dinner and nothing to do for the rest of the night, so they sat in the commons area for a while before retiring to their rooms to play for a while. Liam did the best he could to keep up, drumming on his trunk, while the other two played their guitars like the madmen it seemed they were.

"Dude," Jack said during a pause, "Lee, you're an awesome drummer. Even without drums you rock."

"Yeah, dude," Kyle agreed, "you're much better than the last drummer we played with. You remember that kid, JB?"

"You mean Sasquatch? Dude, that was a horrible drummer. He was a cool guy, but he just could not keep a beat."

"I do feel bad about leaving him like that though."

"Man, he's probably better of without us. I know we're much better of without him."

After they ate, before they went to bed, the three of them got together and made a small sign that they stuck on the door to their room. Everyone walking by noticed the sign at once and couldn't help but wonder exactly what they meant by "Three Kings".

The next day, they got lost again on the way to breakfast. This time, they eventually found the place on their own. They took a long breakfast, as they had first period off on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They did make sure to give themselves quite enough time to find their second period class, however.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was the class many people claimed was the most enjoyable class at the school. Its reputation gave Liam mixed feelings when it became time for class to change and the Slytherin first-years left through the door the Kings were waiting near. Jack and Kyle both seemed psyched.

The teacher was in the room when they entered. The room itself caught all of their interests. There were skeletons and crossbows on the wall, among other, stranger things, and the back wall was full of chests, cabinets, boxes, dressers, and similar pieces of furniture.

As they sat down together, a small, dark man swept into the room and looked at the three of them. Liam knew by word-of-mouth that the man was Professor Jenkins, the teacher.

"Ah," Jenkins said, "I have before me the class I've heard so much about. I shall have fun with you three." He smiled as he swept forward, past his desk, and pulled up a chair on the other side of the table they were sitting at. "Professor McGonagall filled me in on the ideas she expressed to you a few nights ago, and I agree with her wholeheartedly. I was once a Gryffindor, myself, you see, and I understand the significance of the situation you three are in. I am also in the perfect position to make sure you survive that position without a problem.

"I must say, it does make it easier that there are only three of you. Of course, if there were many more, special training would never have crossed anyone's mind, would it." He paused for a second, then his eyes widened momentarily. "Oh my, I completely forgot. I'm Professor Jenkins, by the way. Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The rest of the class was taken up with the three of them learning what exactly was meant by the phrase "Dark Arts" and some of the basic thoughts and knowledge they would need. It hadn't occurred to them that they might be in special danger from outside forces, but by the end of the lesson, all three of them were quite glad that someone had realized it and talked with Professor Jenkins. Everyone was now in agreement that there would be dark times ahead.

They found the Great Hall rather easily due to the map Liam had made going to class earlier, and spent their break discussing how much danger they were actually in and how long it would take before they started becoming targets. It was enough to give anyone an advanced case of paranoia. Soon it was time to head out to look for their final class of the day.

Despite the general view of Defense Against the Dark Arts, this was the class they'd been waiting most eagerly for. An inquiry at breakfast that morning had told them that Transmutation was turning something into something else, and while that was appealing, the were more excited that it was taught by Professor McGonagall, the only teacher they'd had extensive discussion with and head of Gryffindor house.

Professor McGonagall, however, started class with warnings about how serious transmutation was. She then turned her desk into a pig. After a few minutes discussing the basics and the principles behind transmutation, she handed each of them a match and told them to spend the rest of class trying to change it into a needle.

By the end of class, not one of them had been able to change the match at all. For the first time, they were allowed to do magic, and none of them had been able to pull it off. Liam was beginning to wonder if perhaps it had been a mistake that any of them were brought here and they were all three just normal muggles like their parents, but Professor McGonagall eased his suspicions when she mentioned that very few students ever forced any change out of the match in their first lesson.

After class, Kyle and Jack moved to the door, but Liam stood for a second longer, thinking of something. While his friends waited at the door for him, he approached Professor McGonagall. "Professor?"

"Yes, Liam, what is it?"

"I was wondering if I could ask you a favor."

"Feel free to ask, child, but I can't promise I'll accept."

"Yes, ma'am. You see, Professor, Jack, Kyle, and I are trying to get a band together."

"Yes, I hear the three of you were playing on the train. I also hear there are occasionally strange noises coming out of your room which I assume are also music."

Liam smiled. "Yes, ma'am, they are. The thing is, while Kyle and Jack are guitar players and brought they're guitars with them, I'm a drummer, and I have no way of obtaining a drumset while I'm here."

McGonagall smiled slightly. "You want me to transmutate a drumset?"

"Yes, Professor, that was the favor."

"Well, Mr. Tull, I shall make you a deal. I shall go to the common room after supper this evening. If, by then, you can turn a match into a needle, I will do what I can to get you a drumset. I am an advocate of music, you see, though I can't say I'm terribly fond of the rock music I'm told your band plays. Do we have a deal?"

A huge grin split Liam's face as she spoke. "Yes, Professor. Thank you so much. I'll get to work on that match right away."

"Yes, you'd better if you hope to have any supper at all. I shall see you later then."

"Goodbye, Professor McGonagall," he said, backing toward the door. "Thanks again." With that, he turned and walked out to find Jack and Kyle in the hall waiting for him.

"Dude?" was all Jack said.

"She said she'd help us get a drumset if I could turn a match into a needle by time she comes by after dinner," Liam explained as they began to make their way toward the Gryffindor Tower.

"Awesome. We'd better get to work."

With a lot of practice and some help from Kate, all three of them had managed to turn their matches into needles by the time it was dinner would be starting. Proud of what they'd accomplished, the three of them set out of the Great Hall with Kate, who explained with amazement that she'd taken nearly a week before she'd pulled off the simplest bit of actual transmutation. When the four of them arrived at the Great Hall, Liam caught Professor McGonagall's eye while they were walking to an empty spot at the Gryffindor. He flashed her a triumphant smile and sat down to the most enjoyable meal he'd eaten so far since arriving at the school.

After eating, the Three Kings left a little early and headed back to Gryffindor Tower, only getting lost once this time. They managed to get a little more practice in before McGonagall stepped through the portrait hole and headed straight for the table they were sitting at.

"You seem confident," she said as she stopped at the table. "Have you succeeded?"

"We all have, Professor."

"Is that so? In that case, I might as well see all three of you while I'm here." She set three matches on the table, one in front of each of them. "Any time you're ready."

Liam looked to Kyle and Jack. They all three nodded and turned to the matches on the table. Each of them succeeded in turning a match into a needle on the first try.

"I'm quite impressed," McGonagall said, smiling. "As for my part of the bargain, you'll find the drumset in your room already. I do hope it fits your standards. And before you all rush off, I have a favor to ask of you." She paused, waiting for their assent.

"Anything, Professor."

"I ask that you not practice tonight. I know you must be itching to do just that, but I will talk to Professor O'Grady tonight about trying to teach the three of you a charm that will allow you to practice without disturbing everyone else with loud noises. I hope you can find the self-control within yourselves to hold of on practicing until you've learned the charm."

"Yes, ma'am. We'll just have to work as hard on that charm as we did on these matches."

"And I'm sure you will. I shall see you again in class on Thursday."

"Goodbye, Professor," Liam called to her already retreating form. "Thank you again." He turned to the other two.

"Dudes," Jack whispered, "we're a band." He spazzed rather largely at the word "band" and knocked his chair over in the process.


End file.
